The Meaning of Life
by Reaper Scythe
Summary: This story is about broken hearts, broken dreams, and how one person has the power to mend all of those wounds with a single touch. The more you read, the more characters it gets in to. The pairing is in the story now!
1. Prologue

_If you really loved me, why are you letting this happen?_

_If you really loved me, why did you let him have me?_

_If you really loved me, why did you run when you could have saved me?_

_If you really loved me, why did you go out on your own like that?_

_Why did you choose her over me?_

_Why didn't you stay, and protect me?_

_Was I not good enough?_

_Was I too emotional?_

_Did you just use me?_

_Did you intend to leave me stranded?_

_Did you want to break me?_

_Did you want to see me cry?_

_Did you want to see me beg?_

_Did you only stay with me for the satisfactory of saying "I have a girlfriend."?_

_Why did you do all of these things?_

_Why didn't you stay?_

_Why couldn't you love me?_

_The only one that ever helped me was HIM._

_The only one that ever cared was HIM._

_The only one that ever thought of me over himself was HIM._

_The only one that stayed with me was HIM._

_The only one that didn't use me was HIM._

_The only one that ever loved me…was him._

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_You were my life._

_You were my love._

_You were my happiness._

_And you left me with a crazy man._

_You left me when I needed you most._

_The only one that ever thought to help was HIM._

_You took my life, you took my love, you took my happiness, and you even took my friends. You crushed them all._

_I can't stand it anymore._

_I love him more than I ever did you, and yet, I don't stop dreaming about you. Everywhere I look, everywhere I go, it reminds me of you!_

_HE knows. He understands. That's more than you ever did, and yet, I find myself still in love with you._

_There is no one that understood me better than he did, it was simply impossible. But you, you didn't even try. You didn't give an effort. You didn't fight for me…_

_Was I not worth it?_

_Was I not enough?_

_Was I just not…lovable?_

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I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Sweetie, it's time to go to bed."

I heard his angelic voice. It was so soft, yet so stern. So firm, yet so loving.

I don't know what I ever did to deserve him; but apparently, it was more than I ever did for you.

Looking up from my little book of unmailed letters, I smiled.

"Okay."

I got up from my desk, and got in bed with him.

I snuggled against his chest as he tucked me in.

As I fell asleep, all I could feel was my hands against his chest, and his smell.

I was intoxicated by his distinct smell.

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Just looking at him made me melt.

I fell into a dreamless sleep, at complete peace.

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**Review telling me what pairing you think it is, and if you want me to continue!  
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	2. Chapter 1

Hey people, I hope that you guys like this chapter. One of the two people in the pairing are revealed in this chapter. I hope someone can guess the second one!

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I woke up to someone tenderly stroking my face. I opened my eyes to see the love of my life, looking at me with the most soulful of expressions.

I would never understand what I did to deserve him. I always wondered why he picked me, but I was always too afraid to ask. What if he thought about it, and found out that he didn't really like me? He's the only reason my life is worth living right now.

As my angel stroked my face, I looked up at him with apologetic eyes. I always did, every morning. It was my way of saying sorry. Sorry for being a burden. Sorry for splitting you up with your best friends. Sorry for ruining your life….

"Why don't you get up?" I heard him ask. I listened without thinking. I always did. It was my way of returning the favor to him. I know that I could never return everything that he's given me. He gave me a home when I didn't have one. He gave me food when I couldn't afford any. He gave me money when I needed it most. And he still kept on giving. And the only thing he asked in return was for me to give him a chance at being my boyfriend. There is no way anyone could ever do anything more for me.

We got up, and went into our gigantic kitchen. Did I mention that the home he gave me was a mansion? You would think that since we have a mansion, we would have a maid that would cook all of our meals. Or you would probably think that I would be the one who cooked everything, me being that woman in the house and all. What you wouldn't guess, was that _he_ would cook all of the meals for us. He would do **everything**.

"What are we doing today?" I asked him. We always did something different every day. It was always something fun, and something that I would love. I would always feel guilty every time, and I always told him that at the end of the day, yet I couldn't help but look forward to every new day. That was one of the many changes in my life; I could always look forward to tomorrow.

"**We're **not going anywhere. You're staying at home." He told me. Now, I know that I should feel relieved that I'm not being a burden, but I couldn't help but feel disappointed when I found out that we weren't doing anything special today. No matter how guilty I felt, I would always be so happy that I was actually worth his time. I would feel so much better when he would take me to an amusement park, or take me to a fancy restaurant that you had to reserve about 5 months before the day we get there. I guess I feel kind of neglected now that he's leaving me at home.

"Bye then…I guess," I muttered. I felt him kiss me on the forehead. "I'll be home by 5, okay?" I nod, and he leaves. As I hear the door open, I hear him yell "I left a note on the kitchen counter telling you where everything is!"

I make my way through the hallway and to the kitchen, and found the note.

_All of the food is in the mini fridge that I left in your room (that you don't sleep in any more)_

I chuckled at that. I had made a habit of sleeping with him, so I never really slept in my room…or more like suite, but _**he**_ called it a room.

_Make sure that you don't starve yourself. Don't try to save me money, its okay, it's just a day. So, I better come home to an empty fridge! Anyway, hope you can last another 8 hours! By the way, if you are wondering where anything else is, ask the maid that I hired for the day. Make sure that I didn't waste my money._

That boyfriend of mine knows EXACTLY how to guilt trip me. It's amazing how well he knew me. Anyway, I don't want to bore you with my day, so all I'll tell you is this. Since Christmas was in 3 weeks, I spent my time searching for my Christmas present. I searched the attic, I searched the bathroom, I searched all 8 bedrooms, and I even asked the maid! She just gave me a knowing smirk though. I really wonder what he got me.

Oh, have I mentioned that Christmas Eve was my 16th birthday? Anyway, that's all I have to say! Wait a minute, I have one more thing to tell you (don't worry; I'm not going to run through the whole entire day, that would be boring). I am going to what the contents of the mini-fridge were!

Okay, so there was pot roast, sushi, and lots, and lots of seafood! For the desert, there was flan, crème brûlée, and a savory looking strawberry pie, topped with whipped cream. So, back to the important stuff! When he got home, he was holding a bag. It seemed to have something relatively large in it. I was VERY excited; this was the first time that we've been separated for more than 10 hours since…well…the incident. So anyway, he came into the house, and gave me the bag, and told me to open it after dinner. Well, I guess I'll have to wait. SO, for dinner, we ended up having sushi, steak, and a bunch of other things that he knows I love. I always wonder how long he can keep all of this up. I mean, no matter how rich he is, money can only last so long. I would always wonder how this would all work out, but I never asked him. What if he realized that this couldn't possibly last? What if he realized that I was just a hindrance, an impediment? I don't know what I would do… I'm rambling aren't I? So anyway, we had a great dinner, in our small little table for two. It was unnervingly silent though. Anyway, all I can say is that I was not able to take my eyes off of him. He was just too cute! I just can't believe that that I was the one to have him, when he could have chosen anyone, anyone at all to be his girlfriend. So, we finished dinner, and he told me to close my eyes. I felt his soft, velvety hands clasp around my eyes, as I held my hand out. I felt something very light weight descended on my hand. I felt his hands leave their place from around my head, and I opened my eyes to see the most beautiful locket that I have ever laid my eyes on. I gasped in appreciation when I saw the glass heart that made up the majority of the locket. He put it around my neck. "Do you like it?" He sounded so nervous, as if he was getting ready for rejection. I can't believe that after so long, he still thinks that I don't like, no LOVE him. The only thing that was wrong with my boyfriend was his confidence. "Yes, I love it… Thank you…Nate."

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So, I hope that you like this chapter. You can audition if you want, and you might see some of yourself in the next chapter. I will put up review replies as soon as I get some. Anyway, be happy! Oh, and I forgot, review! **Also, DO NOT give up on this story just because Nate's in it!**


	3. Chapter 2

Okay, so I hope you guys like this chapter, because I worked pretty hard on it. This chapter reveals the last two people of the love triangle! Anyway, I would love to find a beta, so offer it up people. I will not continue past chapter 4 until i get at least 4 more reviews!

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The locket was beautiful. It was shaped as a glass heart, probably as fragile as my own. Etched on, was a crescent moon. I opened the locket to find a very deep message. "If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they were always yours. If they don't, then they never were." I was completely stunned. Not only at the depth of the message, but by the person who wrote it. Why would Nate give me such a message? That wasn't the only thing that was on my mind though… I had expected something…well, bigger. Not something more beautiful, or worth more, just…well, bigger. The bag he brought in was the size of my torso, and yet…all he got me was a locket.

I was so deep in thought that I hadn't noticed the bag that Nate brought in was gone. And apparently, so was he. I couldn't help but be suspicious. I went into the kitchen to find Nate, at the table, in a black tuxedo. I walked up to the table to find all of the food that I loved. Nate was being really silent though…and it was kind of unnerving. Nate never did talk much, but this was just plain…weird. He wasn't talking at all. I think that it has something to do with the locket, but I'm not one hundred percent sure. I can't make any guesses right now though. I don't know him as well as he seems to know me.

So, after dinner, Nate guided me to the couch as he put a movie into the DVD player. Afterwards, he went back to the couch to snuggle with me. "So…anything been on your mind lately?" I heard him whisper. "Nothing…" I replied. I didn't want to become more of a burden than I already was. "You know, maybe if you share that "nothing", I can help you." "Well…honestly, I've been thinking about Shane…" He was silent as I awaited his response. I was so intent on listening to his reply that I didn't feel two arms envelope me.

"Mitchie, what would you do if you saw him, and he came up to you?" he asked so quietly that, had my attention not been focused entirely on Nate, would have passed my ears as a bee of a fly. Not only that, but he had jest asked me what must have been one of the most difficult questions to answer in my life. "Honestly, I don't know."

"Mitchie…there's something I need to tell you," Nate said, his voice even more quiet than before. His voice had a serious sound to it, but it seemed to be filled with so much guilt. Now I knew something bad was going to happen. Nate was a very logical guy, and anything that made him feel regret could never be a good thing. Anything that makes him feel _**guilt**_ however, well… I don't know what to say. It's never happened before, at least while I was around.

"Mitchie, I invited Shane over for dinner….tonight."

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I'm uploading the next chapter right now! **Give Nitchie a chance before you bash it, people!**


	4. Chapter 3

"You did WHAT?!" I tried my best to remain calm, but this was a little too much!! My ex-boyfriend was coming to have dinner with me and my kinda-not-so-official boyfriend (I don't think that he knows we're "going out")?! The worst part was, Shane didn't know about Nate and me. Maybe that's why Nate would only kiss me on the forehead. Nate was a very cliché person, but I noticed that he was never intimate unless I began to get emotional. For example: the movie that we watched. Yeah, we snuggled, but I had to snuggle up to _him_! Shouldn't it be the other way around? He never really pushed me away or rejected me, but he would never really make an effort. Sometimes, he acted as if he wasn't even there. He would always be staring into space, as if he wanted to be somewhere else at the time. Anyway, back to the real problem…

"Shane is coming…f-f-for DINNER?!"

"Mitchie, clam down. He knows about…us," as always, Nate's response comes quickly, quietly, and soothingly. "All we can really do is prepare for tonight, okay?" I listened to him, as always. It was the least I could do. But as the day went on, I got more and more nervous. The anticipation and suspense almost killed me throughout the day. I spent most of the day trying to distract myself. I ended up leaving Nate to do all of the work. Apparently, it didn't work very well, because when the doorbell rang, I _**ran**_. Nate dragged me back as he opened the door.

Outside, was Shane…in a tuxedo. There was a large hand imprint on his cheek though. Somehow, I had a feeling that it was from the she-witch that stole Shane away from me, and showed me the real him. We stood there for a moment, as if we were frozen in time. I'm not sure for exactly how long we stood there, because it felt like eternity. After what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, Nate had the sense the break the silence. "Would you…like to sit down?"

We made our way towards the dining room, to find a very exquisite feast. Nate had outdone himself once again, but…why for Shane? I couldn't help but feel a little guilty though. I always sit around the house, thinking about my own problems, leaving him to do all the work. I didn't have much time to reminisce about it, because before I knew it, dinner was over, and Shane walked…over…to me. "Mitchie, can I talk to you?" It didn't seem as much of a question, can a command. As I started walking away with Shane, I glance at Nate, who gave me a discreet nod. If I had been look at him for a moment longer, I would have seen tears streaming down his face.

As Shane pulled me aside, he asked me a question I had wanted to hear since the disaster. "Mitchie…will – will you come back to me?" I never knew that the question I had been dreaming of would be so painful. Shane had just taken one of my most wonderful dreams, and turned it into a horrible, wretched nightmare. What was I supposed to say? I had millions of questions racing through my mind.

Why is he asking me this?

What will Nate say?

Why did he break up with me in the first place?

How am I supposed to answer this?

Is he staring at me?

Shoot! I better answer his question!

"C-can you give me a couple of days to think about it?" This time, his emotions were readable. I saw disappointment, sadness, grief, and…hope? I honestly didn't know what to do.

I still loved Shane, I really did, but should I really do this? He's broken me once; who said he wouldn't hesitate to do it again? What if Nate didn't rescue me a second time?

I decided to confront Nate about it once Shane was gone. Them, I remembered the message in the locket. Is that why he invited Shane? Did that mean that he actually _**loved**_ me? I simply asked him that day, when we went to bed.

"What do you think I should do?" This time, his reply didn't come quite so fast.

"Just do…do what your heart tells you what to do." His voice sounded so…exasperated. But that didn't matter, because when I woke up the next morning, I didn't remember the last thing that he said… "Okay…" I replied as I drifted off to sleep. The next day went by like any other. Nate stayed home with me…as always.

For the next week, we never slept in the same bed. It was the first time that I had slept in my own bed in months! That very first night, when we didn't sleep together, I had nightmares. It was the first nightmare I had had in….a few months. Just as long as I had been sleeping with Nate… My nightmare was absolutely horrible. It wasn't a normal nightmare though. It was like flashbacks of my life, one after the other. Everything that had to do with Shane or Nate that had ever happened in my life flashed before me. The tears, the agony, and the small drops of love, scattered across the nightmare. But it wasn't the fluffy love that you see in fairytales. It was the kind of love that you always want to keep, the kind of love that is cherished beyond anything else. The little love that I saw though…it was all crushed. I saw my heart being broken, killed, and burned. The horror that was my life continued to flash before my eyes that night.

Tears started streaming down my face as I recalled the many broken memories that I had. I was crying my eyes out by the time I noticed a strange, crumpled piece of paper in the trash can beside my nightstand. I reached for the paper, feeling strangely drawn to it. I opened it to find a very…unexpected note.

_If I had the letters "h", "r", and "t", I could add_

"_u" and get hurt, or I can add "ea" and get heart._

_I would rather have you and get hurt that have a heart without you._

The only person that could have written this was Nate… That is what made it so painful... I couldn't believe that this was happening. Not that he wrote the note, but that he threw it away, and I found it. This note was making it harder and harder on my heart, yet I just couldn't seem to ask for help. Sure, I would accept it, but I would never find myself asking for it…

This note also had one, very unnecessary effect: it made it harder to choose between Nate and Shane.

If I picked Shane, I would be taking a gigantic risk. I loved Shane more than anything in the world, and I would die for him in less than an instant. But the same thought kept on coming to my mind. Everyone always says that you shouldn't get stuck in the past, but I seemed to be TRAPPED in the past. I couldn't help but think that Shane would abandon me again.

On the other hand, if I picked Nate, I would know that I was being cared for, and loved. I could have someone who would actually comfort me when I'm sad, and help me up when I'm down. But I would have to live in wonder, and regret. I would have to live wondering if my life would have worked out with Shane. And in all of my regret, I wouldn't really be **loving** Nate. I cared for Nate very much, and I know from experience, that unrequited love was the absolute QUICKEST way to a heavy heart. The WORST thing that I could ever do to Nate was to NOT return his love.

I slowly made my way to the kitchen to find breakfast on the table. I tasted it, and could instantly tell that Nate made it.


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